Rolling-element bearings with line contact are bearings in which the rolling elements contact running surfaces of the bearing rings along a line. In such bearings, and in particular, in tapered roller bearings having line contact, off-center loads can produce a skewing/misalignment at mutually opposing ends of the rolling elements. This skewing/misalignment can lead to very high bearing loads, sometime referred to as edge stresses. It has therefore been proposed in the prior art to provide bearing components, in particular bearing rings and rolling elements, with a convex profile that allows a load to be distributed relatively uniformly over the rolling elements even in the case of an uneven load or skewing. The convex profile is usually formed on the running surfaces and/or the rolling elements by grinding and/or honing the surfaces after turning and hardening the bearing components. The profiles ensure that loads are relatively uniformly distributed over the rolling elements even in the case of uneven loading or skewing.
A disadvantage with using convex profiles is that the profiling operation must be performed with high precision. This is only possible to a limited extent over the course of a long production period. This is because, for example, the grinding and honing stones used to form the profile may wear over the course of production, and this can result in an increasing deviation of the profile from the target. In some cases, this deviation can even increase the edge stress problem. In addition, the processing/machining of the bearing components is very cost-intensive.
A further disadvantage of using profiled elements is that, because of the profiling, the rolling elements no longer abut on the running surfaces over their entire lengths. This in turn increases the pressure load on the rolling elements and thus reduces the load capacity of the rolling-element bearing.